Frank Ash Yeo (18 August 1832 – 4 March 1888) was a British industrialist and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician. Yeo was born at

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ''By ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, the son of Thomas Yeo and his wife Elizabeth Woollacott. He was educated at Bideford School, and in Germany and France. He moved to Swansea where he was a colliery owner and director of the Swansea Bank and the Swansea Blast Furnace Company. In 1874 he was Mayor of Swansea, and commemorated his

Mayoralty In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

by donating the Chain of Office in 1875. In 1878 he became Chairman of Swansea Harbour Trust. He lived at

Sketty Hall Sketty Hall is a venue used for hosting social functions, business functions and conferences in Singleton Park, Swansea, south Wales. The original building was built in the early 18th century as a private house. Over the years it has seen a numb ...

. In 1885, Yeo was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Gower Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

and held the seat until his death three years later at the age of 55. Yeo married Sarah Cory at Cardiff in 1858. She died in 1863 and he married Mary Dowson of

Northallerton Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increa ...

in 1868. In 2006, a statement from Swansea City Council declared that the Mayoral Chains Of Office would continue to adorn the incumbent for select official duties following a planned refurbishment, to cost in the region of £50,000 GBP. The Mayoral chains, a 'gift' to the city in 1875 from industrialist and Liberal Member of Parliament, Frank Ash Yeo, were once valued over £100,000 and are presently the subject of scrutiny from a number of notable antiquities specialists. Plaid Cymru group spokesperson Darren Price - in consultation with direct heir and descendant of the benefactor, Mr. Nicholas James Cory Yeo Knott-Goodwin - suggested an alternative to the expenditure of a taxpayer-funded restoration would be to preserve, and archive the jewels for public view in a museum. In further communications between Mr. Knott-Goodwin and Swansea City Council representatives, it was divulged that the private journals of Frank Ash Yeo - now held by great granddaughter Leila Cory Goodwin - would detail more closely the exact relationship between Mr. Yeo and Swansea Council circa his election to Mayor, and the relinquishing of holdings related to his erstwhile partnership, the Cory-Yeo group of collieries. The contents of these journals are set to be published as a memoir in 2023.

References

1832 births 1888 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 Mayors of Swansea Politicians from Bideford {{Wales-UK-MP-stub